Pakistanis in Malaysia had to leave their country because of the loopholes in the governance system, not because there is a dearth of resources, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday during his address to a gathering of Pakistanis in Malaysia.

The prime minister recalled the time when princes from Malaysia were sent to Pakistan to study. He said it was a time when no country in the region could imagine competing with Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s per capita income was more than that of any other country in the subcontinent,” he said. “But nations and people face ups and downs so that they can fix their mistakes.”

According to the PM, Malaysia has prospered because it had a leader like Mahathir Mohamad, adding that Mohamad helped the nation make progress despite its limited resources.

He said Mohamad had proved that nations that have good governance cannot be held back by a lack of resources.

Imran lauded his Malaysian counterpart’s efforts to control money laundering and corruption, and added that efforts were under way, in Pakistan, to boost remittances, exports and investment, and to control money laundering.

“There will be a time when people will not have to leave Pakistan [for jobs].”